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Myanmar Stoves Campaign

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3. Good Health

5. Gender Equality

7. Affordable Clean Energy

13. Climate Action

The Myanmar Stoves Campaign, a Soneva Foundation program, is the first Gold Standard certified carbon project in Myanmar. The 30,000 fuel efficient stoves sold to date have improved the lives of over 140,000 people.

Myanmar is the third largest contributor to deforestation worldwide. As the forests disappear, the price of wood gets higher, driving more and more families into energy poverty. Cutting expenditures on wood makes a huge difference to families already living in poverty, and reducing the time needed to forage for wood means more time to spend on smallholdings and on securing a good harvest. Rural families in Myanmar spend as much as 40% of their income – or the time equivalent – on purchasing or collecting firewood.

Indoor cooking on inefficient stoves is a silent killer. Air pollution from domestic cooking is responsible for the premature deaths of over 4 million people a year—more than HIV Aids and malaria combined. Each cook stove reduces wood consumption by at least 50%, reducing both pressure on forests and household expenditure on fuel. Air pollution is reduced by 80%, improving the health and safety of the whole community. Carbon emissions are reduced by 60%, or four tons per year, per stove.

The Myanmar Stoves Campaign is a project of the Soneva Foundation. The Soneva Foundation acts as the project developer, coordinator and manager. Mercy Corps Myanmar is the local implementation partner. The Soneva Foundation supports the development of environmental projects that reduce carbon emissions at the same time as addressing deeper social and environmental challenges. Using innovative impact investing principles, projects produce their own financial returns which are used to further scale reach and impact.

Project impacts and benefits:

Over 30,000 stoves sold to households in rural Myanmar.

Over 140,000 people benefits from lower energy costs and reduced indoor smoke.

Over 1,000 vendors trained to sell the stoves.

Certified vendors average annual income contribution of US$300 from sales commissions.

Over 1,000 villages reached.

US$ 20 million in social value generated from the campaign.

60% less fire-wood required by each stove.

Each stove saves 2.5 tonnes of wood per year.

US$ 40 saved per household per year.

Reduced air pollution inside household kitchens improves the health and safety of the whole community.

“I think this cook stove is amazing! Buying it was a big investment for us, but I made the right choice buying it. It uses about 60% less wood than our old stove and it cooks much faster. But it is more than just saving wood and money. It is also the simpler, most unexpected things. I have peace of mind. My kitchen is not going to catch fire and I don’t need to worry if I need to step away for a moment. I can leave it cooking while I get water or feed the animals.”

Than Than WinThit Hla Kyin village

“I used a lot of wood with my old stove and it produced more smoke and soot that made my eyes water. This one is different, it needs less wood, and the fire is more contained.”

Ma Khin MyaingBaw Di Kone village

$15.00 USD / TONNE

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